Anti-waste Ideas Often Go Begging

County and city governments in Broward already practice some of the cost- cutting measures suggested in a recent Florida TaxWatch report, but many of the group`s ideas have not found favor here.

TaxWatch, a non-profit watchdog organization based in Tallahassee, offered 190 suggestions to cut governmental waste in Florida in a report issued last month.

President Dominic Calabro predicted that as much as $1.1 billion could be saved statewide if the ideas were adopted -- $160 million of that by Broward`s taxpayers or $325 for every household in the county.

``More than saving money, it will improve coordination and responsibility of local services to the community,`` Calabro said. ``There`s no question.``

Many of the key ideas in the report -- paying employees monthly instead of biweekly and curtailing summer hours to save on energy -- have been ignored, at least by the County Commission and the cities of Fort Lauderdale, Hollywood and Pompano Beach.

Some of TaxWatch`s suggestions, however, were already in use.

County government, for example, has a program that rewards good ideas with a $100 or $250 savings bond. Fort Lauderdale has a similar program.

And nearly all local governments have been refinancing bond issues at lower interest rates to save money, and have memberships in groups that save money through volume purchasing.

``We squeeze the nickel as hard as we can,`` said John Canada, who oversees the county`s $742 million budget.

Meter readers in Fort Lauderdale and Hollywood, for example, use special hand-held computers that can be plugged into the mainframe computer back at the office and save considerable money in the billing process -- another TaxWatch suggestion. And the county recently decided to buy the devices to read the 45,000 meters in unincorporated areas.

A water-saving idea by TaxWatch -- raising water rates during the winter dry season to encourage conservation -- is not being done locally. Dallas, which has higher rates during the dry season, was able to cut water use between 15 and 20 percent.

County and local officials said they thought such an idea might be deemed discriminatory to the area`s winter residents.

Some pension plans, such as those offered firefighters and police officers in Pompano Beach, are considered too generous by TaxWatch. Police and firefighters in that city can obtain a pension after 20 years.

Another idea to cut police costs -- having officers take home their police cars and making them responsible for maintenance -- is not being done in Fort Lauderdale, Hollywood or Pompano Beach.

But sheriff`s deputies do take home their cars and are made responsible for having their cars maintained. It allows cars to last as long as five years, although more cars are needed.

Usually, police cars last only 18 months.

Another TaxWatch suggestion that would have a major effect on local governments would require approval from the Legislature.

It involves putting property on the tax rolls the day it is completed. At present, if a building is finished Jan. 30, for example, it doesn`t go on the tax rolls until Jan. 1 of the following year.

Joe Zdanowicz, chief appraiser for Property Appraiser William Markham, predicted that the change would result in another ``couple hundred million dollars per year`` being added to the tax roll.